William McWilliams
Encyclopedia
William James McWilliams (12 October 1856 – 22 October 1929) was the inaugural leader of the Country Party of Australia
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...

.

Born in Bream Creek, near Sorell, Tasmania
Sorell, Tasmania
Sorell is a town in Tasmania, Australia, north-east of Hobart. It is on the Tasman Highway which continues up the east coast of Tasmania. At the 2006 census, Sorell had a population of 1,546....

, the son of Irish immigrants who ran the local school. Originally trained as a teacher, McWilliams became a journalist in 1877, rising to editor of the Launceston Telegraph in 1883. Marrying Josephine Fullerton in Melbourne on 19 October 1893, McWilliams’s role as editor helped his stature in the local community enough to ensure his election to the Tasmanian House of Assembly
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...

 for the electorate of Ringarooma
Electoral district of Ringarooma
The Electoral district of Ringarooma was a single-member electoral district of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. It was based around the town of Ringarooma in north-eastern Tasmania....

 in the December 1893 election.

In parliament, McWilliams advocated strongly on behalf of farmers, investigated the possibility of introducing sugarbeet farming into Tasmania and helped found the Tasmanian meteorological bureau. He also supported giving women and ex-convicts the vote but opposed Federation
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...

, believing it should be delayed.

An Australian Rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

 fan, in 1897 McWilliams founded the Southern Tasmania Football Association and remained a senior figure in Australian Rules football administration in Tasmania.

McWilliams bought the Hobart-based Tasmanian News in 1896 and moved to Hobart shortly after, unsuccessfully standing for the seat of Glenorchy
Electoral district of Glenorchy
The Electoral district of Glenorchy was a single-member electoral district of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. It was based in the northern suburbs of Tasmania's capital city, Hobart, and included New Town, Moonah and Glenorchy....

 in 1900. Switching to federal politics, McWilliams won the Franklin
Division of Franklin
The Division of Franklin is an Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania. The division was created in 1903 and is named for Sir John Franklin, the polar explorer who was Lt Governor of Van Diemen's Land 1843-46. It is located in southern Tasmania, including the Hobart suburbs of Bridgewater,...

 at the 1903 election as a Revenue Tariff
Revenue Tariff Party
The Revenue Tariff Party, also known as the Tariff Reform Party, was a minor Australian political party that operated in Tasmania in 1903. It elected one member, William McWilliams, to the House of Representatives, and one member, Henry Dobson, to the Senate in the 1903 federal election. Both...

ist supporting the Free Trade Party
Free Trade Party
The Free Trade Party which was officially known as the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states and renamed the Anti-Socialist Party in 1906, was an Australian political party, formally organised between 1889 and 1909...

 on most economic issues.

In parliament, McWilliams, like almost all his fellow members, strongly supported the White Australia Policy
White Australia policy
The White Australia policy comprises various historical policies that intentionally restricted "non-white" immigration to Australia. From origins at Federation in 1901, the polices were progressively dismantled between 1949-1973....

 but opposed federal spending on issues such as the establishment of the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...

 and a federal department of agriculture, a transcontinental railway and federal acquisition of the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...

. As in state parliament, McWilliams was a staunch supporter of rural issues, supporting the timber industry and primary producers, and, after assisting in the formation of the Country Party in 1920, McWilliams was appointed leader.

McWilliams did not always see eye to eye with his party colleagues however and at times voted against the wishes of the party. He was relieved of the leadership of the Country Party in April 1921 and lost his seat at the 1922 election
Australian federal election, 1922
Federal elections were held in Australia on 16 December 1922. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Nationalist Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes lost its majority...

. McWilliams left the Country Party soon after and unsuccessfully ran at the 1925 election
Australian federal election, 1925
Federal elections were held in Australia on 14 November 1925. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 22 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...

. McWilliams won Franklin again in 1928
Australian federal election, 1928
Federal elections were held in Australia on 17 November 1928. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...

 and 1929
Australian federal election, 1929
Federal elections were held in Australia on 12 October 1929. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election, with no Senate seats up for election, as a result of Billy Hughes and other rebel backbenchers crossing the floor over industrial relations legislation, depriving the...

 as an independent, although there was little time for celebration as McWilliams died in Hobart from angina pectoris within hours of the declaration of the poll. He was survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
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